Hi, I'm looking for a warmer place and would like to hear from people teaching in Mexico. How's the money? Are there University jobs available(I have a Master's and TESL Cert)? Standard of living? etc.,etc.

Mexico is a big country with much variety regarding climate/weather, cost of living, and salaries. For specifics I can only speak for SE Mexico. At the university where I teach, hourly wages vary between about USD$4 and $10 depending on type of contract. Those earning near the upper end of that range are connected professors with tenure. On an average university salary in this city, standard of living is pretty low. Actually, I don't know of any of my co-workers who live only on their university salaries. We all have other sources of income as well. Although a Master's plus TEFL certificate would probably be adequate, a Master's in TESOL or linguistics would give a person an edge for employment. Where I teach, there's a very low turn over, and more than half of the EFL teachers are part-time.

In Mexico in general getting work with a university can be hit or miss. Especailly if you try to arrange it before arriving. Some people work at language schools in their first year then move into better position when they decide that they want to stay on in Mexico.

I work at what is hoping to become the "new model" for universities in Mexico. It is very much a reaction to all the politics and crap that go on in the "Universidades Autonimas" around the country. The model goes a bit to the other extreme (Highly controlled) but does seem to be working for the time. The University is 12 years old, it's sister is 10 years old and there are a four new sister's that opened this year.

What's good about this for English teachers is 1) it calls for English as a requirement for ALL students 2) it calls for native speaking language teachers and 3) it has tried to stamp out nepotism 4) all teaching positions are full time tenure track.

Pay is quite good by Mexican standards, but if you are trying to pay off debt or make big contributes to retirement funds, Mexico is not the place for you.

You might want to also look into the ITESM system of universities.

As Ben round de Bloc said, Mexico has a lot of variety in climate, landscapes, Westernization, and industrial developement. Any given person could love one town and quite easily hate another. I suggest that you read up about different regions and see what might appeal to you.

Hi all,
I have an MA TESOL and some experience at a US IEP. I want to teach in a Mexican university if possible, and several people have suggested ITESM. At the moment I am trying to find contact info for several branches but the websites are a bit of a maze, and my Spanish not that good. In particular, I'm looking for ITESM Queretaro.

I would also like to hear about ANY experiences you've had working for a branch of ITESM or other universities in Mexico. Particularly welcome comments from anyone in mid-sized cities like Puebla, Morelia, Veracruz, etc. Thanks a lot for your help.